Rail attachment means for use in railway tracks



April 18, 1961 A. DOLL 2,980,336

RAIL ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS Filed Feb. 25, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 AM LEERT 1 01.1.

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A. DOLL April 18, 1961 RAIL ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1958 lvue vraR Am LEE-RT fiLL 1 M 3 M MIRA/E7 April 18, 1961 A. DOLL 2,980,336

RAIL'ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS Filed Feb. 25, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 //v we N104 A. DOLL April 18, 1961 RAIL ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS Filed Feb. 25, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 H wm ATTO/Q NEY A. DOLL April 18, 1961 RAIL ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS Filed Feb. 25, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 VENTOIV AJYALBE/PT i014 7 W W aren't Eatented Apr. 18, 19 61" inc RAIL ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS Adalbert Doll, Minden, Westphalia, Germany, assignor to Vossloh-Werke G.m.b.H., Werdohl, Germany Filed Feb. 25, 1958, S81. No. 717,496

10 Claims." 01. 238-349 j This invention concerns the attachment of rails to railway track sleepers of any kind, such as wooden sleepers, concrete sleepers, or iron sleepers.

It has already been proposed to insert the rail flange between abutments which serve to define the track, and which can either be connected to the sleeper or are constructed as ribs of a base plate, for example, which in turn is secured to the sleeper. At the same time the rail flange usually rests on an elastic or yieldable shim such as a plate of poplar Wood or rubber.

It is also known to secure the rail, which in the manner described has been mounted on a base plate, by resilient tension means which rest on top of the rail flange, de-

pressing said flange, Conventional tension means of this kind usually consist of a spring stirrup, for example, bent from flat steel and one end of which engages in a center recess on the side of an abutment member, e.g. the rib of a base plate, remote from the rail, whereas the other end of the stirrup, which is bent over the rib towards the rail flange, presses resiliently from above on to the rail flange. The fitting of such spring stirrups on the track is very complicated, however. A special clamping screw passing through the stirrup into the rib of the base plate is also necessary in order to secure the stirrup in position.

It is an object of the invention to simplify and speed up the fitting and also the exchanging of spring stirrups, and to secure the seat thereof without the use of special means.

Another object of the invention is simultaneously to provide the possibility of using self-tensioning stirrup means which have a spring characteristic, particularly a long spring movement, favourable for the present purse. According to the present invention, self-tensioning spring stirrups manufactured in known manner from spring wire or rod material engage at their two shank ends in two separate recesses formed in each abutment member such as a butt strap or rib serving to define the track, and at least one recess comprises a slot open at one end of the abutment member and into which the appropriate shank end can be introduced from the side by spreading or opening out the said stirrup.

Where the abutment members are ribs, said ribs may comprise the ribs of a conventional base plate which is secured in known manner to the sleeper. Alternatively, butt straps separated from one another may be arranged on both sides of the rail flange and mounted separately on the sleeper.

The spring stirrups used for the attachment of the rail are preferably constructed so that they each have a center portion adapted to extend approximately parallel to the rail, are each bent towards the rail flange, and each merge by way of curved portions leading away from the rail into shank ends directed towards the rail and which engage in the butt strap or rib.

The nvention will be described further, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings;

in which: Fig. 1 is an elevation of a rail attachment and a baseplate, the rail being shown in cross-section,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the attachment shown- -in Fig. 1, with a wooden sleeper shown in cross section,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rail attachment shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section of a wooden sleeper with arail mounted thereon and located between two spaced butt straps, g p Fig. 5 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is an and elevation of the rail attachment according to Figs. 4 and 5, s i Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are elevations corresponding respecztively to'Figs. 4, 5 and 6, of an embodiment of rail at-f tachment suitable for concrete sleepers, and V Fig. 10 is a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 4. 1

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a base plate 3 is secured by means of sleeper screws 7 and interposed spring washers 8 to a sleeper 4. The base plate 3 is provided in known manner with two substantially parallel j ribs 6 which extend in the direction of the rail 1, receive the flange 2 of the rail between them and define thetrackQ Arranged between the rail flange and the base plate, 3 is a resilient or yieldable shim 5. a The rail is secured to the base plate 3 and sleeper 41 by means of spring stirrups which are bent from hard I steel spring bar or Wire of round cross-section. The L center portion 9 of each spring stirrup is intended to -be parallel to the rail and is downwardly bent towards the rail flange. At its ends, this c'enter portion Qmerges by way of arched or curved portions 10 and 11 directed away from the rail into two shank ends 12 and 13. Each rib 6 is formed near one end with a transverse; bore 14 and near its other. end witha slot 15 ,which is open at the end of the rib. The bore 14 and the slot 15 are closed on the side of the ribs facing the rail, flange. v Fig. 2 shows the operation of inserting or removing a spring stirrup. The stirrup is inserted first by one end, 13 into the bore 14, in the position 9a shown in dot and dash lines, and is then brought through the intermediate position 9b, wherein its shank end is spread or opened out, into the position shown in full lines, in which it is at- V tached to the base plate 3 with the necessary degree of security. In this position, the ribs form a lateral abut: ment for the center part 9 of the spring stirrup which is in contact with the rail flange.

One advantage of this construction consists in the feature that, apart from the known base plate, only one part, namely, the spring stirrup, is necessary and is easy to manufacture, mount and remove. Existing base i plates can be adapted to use in the invention without difliculty. It is only necessary to form two recesses 77 in each rib in which the ends of the stir-rups can engage. The pressure which the stirrup exerts on the rail flange is dependent upon the thickness of the stirrup, and may typically be some 12004600 kg. with a spring movement of 9 to 10 mm. By lengthening the spring bar-or Wire I between the two shank ends, by forming lateral bulges Q in the shape of the stirrup, for example, the movement of the spring can be increased. V i When the rail is secured by two spring stirrups, it is possible to raise the rail only with a force of about 1850-1950 kg. However, since the load on the sleeper: l is only about kg. and is in any case only increased by vibration impacts to 500 kg. when driven over, the rail attachment is perfectly secure. In theemb'odiment'f shown in Figs. 4-6 the railway line 1 rests by its flange} 3 directly on the surface of the wooden sleeper 4, except Figs. 1-3. x V

' In the embodiment shown in Figs. 7-9 the rail l rests a g 3 for the interposition ofgan bodiment there 'is no base plate, but two separate butt straps 16 and 17 serving to define the track are mounted on the sleeper on both sides of the rail flange 2. Each,

butt strap is provided with a side flange 18 serving as a support and which, in the example shown, is on the Side 7 1 remote from the riail only, and'is located in asuitable recess 19pformedinthefsu'rfacje of'the sleeper. To connect t helbutt straps 16 and 17 to the wooden sleeper 4, two spikes 20 jare driven into bores 21 in the sleeper.

The spike's 20 may be rigidly-connected to thebutt straps16and17. V 1,

Each butt strap 16 and 17, at one end region thereof is'formed. witha blind, transverse bore 14 v and, near its opposite end,which is preferably; intended to face in the direction offtraveL with a slot open at the end face of the butt strap but closed on the'side of the butt strap facingthe rail flange. The spring stirrup, formed from hard steel spring bar or wire of round cross-section,

by its flange 2 on the upper surface of a concretesleeper andthe flange. Pairs of spikes 25 rigidly mounted on each of two butt straps 16 and 17 engage in. bores 26.

of sleeper dowels 27. In known manner, the two spikes 25 of each butt strap 16 and 17 and the corresponding bores :26 of the dowel are separate from one another, but so closely adjacent that a sleeper dowel 27 with dimensions conventional for concrete sleepers can be used; 7 a V V The butt straps 16 and 17 with their flanges 18 and the springstirrups 9, 10 and 11 are constructed in the same manner and arranged as in the previously described embodiments. In this embodiment of the invention the butt straps, instead of being secured to the concrete sleepers by means of spikes and dowels, may alternatively' be formed with dependent portions such as bars or plates enabling said butt straps to be concreted directly into the sleepers.

Fig. 10 corresponds substantially to Fig. 6, but in this case the butt strap 16 is provided with a vertical. bore 28 and is attached to a wooden sleeper 4' by means of an ordinary sleeper screw '29; A further difference consists in the feature that in Fig. 10 the steel bar or wire forming the spring stirrup 30 is longer and therefore the stirrup hasa different shape. Its curved portions 31 and 32 leading from the center portion to the shank ends of the stirrup project further to both sides, resultingin a longer spring movement. 7

I claim: 7 1,. For use in securing rails to sleepers 1n railroad elastic shim 5. In this em- F 24, an elastic shim 5 being interposed between thesleeper and then releasing of said rail, and each stirruprbeing resiliently bendable between said center. portion and said shank ends in a plane substantially at right angles to said rail, said center portion of each stirrup bearing with spring pressure on the adjacent flange of said rail when the one shank end is inserted in the one recess .from the side of the abutment member remote from the rail' and 'the other shank end is insertedintosaid other recess from said end face of said abutment member through said slot by first urging said other shank end downward and spreading it in relation to the first mentioned shankend.v '7 p 7 2. Rail attachment as in claim 1, said one recess of each abutment member being engageable by the one shank end of a stirrup from the side remote from .said rail, whereas said other recess being engageableby said other shank end of said stirrup from the slotted end of said abutment member. p I

3; Rail attachment as in claim 1, said shank, ends of each stirrup being straightlined, substantially parallel to each other and substantially in planes at right angles to the direction in which said center portion extends.

4. Rail attachment 'means'asset forth in claim 1, wherein each abutment member with its flank adjacent said rail further constitutes. a lateral abutment for the M center portionof the associated spring stirrup on the side of the center portion on .which'its end portions are located,

saidJarched end portions. of the stirrup extending beyond the ends of said abutment member.

5. Rail attachment means as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the recesses in the abutment members are closed a base plate adapted to be secured on a sleeper, said ribs being provided with said recesses and having each a flank constituting an abutment surface for said rail flange and said center portion of the associated stirrup, said flank being shorter than the spacing of said end portions of said stirrup from each other.

track, rail attachment means comprising a pair of elongatedabutment members, means to secure said abutment members fixedly relative to the sleepers in mutually spacedrelationship to define the track and receive a rail flange between them, each abutment member being formed at one 'end region thereof with a recess substantially in the shape of a bore and at the other and region with arecess comprising a slot open in the endface of said other end region, said recesses extending from the side of the abutment member remote from the rail toi wards the latter, and a pair of stirrups formed of spring rod material and adapted to engage the rail flange on either side of the rail, each stirrup comprising a center .7. For use in securing rails to sleepers in railroad track, rail attachment means comprising a pair of separate, elongated butt straps, said butt straps being adapted for mounting in spaced relation on a sleeper to define the track and receive a. rail flange between them and including means to secure them to said sleeper, each butt strap being formed at one end region thereof with a blind recess and at the other end region with a recess comprising a slot'open in the end face of said other end region, and a pair. of stirrups formed of spring rod material and adapted to engage the railflange on either side of the rail, each stirrup comprising a centre portion 'so as to extend substantially lengthwise of said rail, a

curved and arched end portion at each end of said center "portion, said end portions being directed away from portion and said shank ends in a plane substantially at right angles to said rail, said center portion of each stirrup bearing with spring pressure on the adjacent flange of said rail when the associated butt strap is secured to said sleeperiand when the one shank end is inserted 2,980,386 s a a in the one recess from the side of said butt strap remote References Cited in the file of this patent from said rail and the other shank end is inserted into said other recess from said end face of said butt strap UNITED STATES PATENTS through said slot by first urging said other shank end 911,230 Goldie Feb. 2, 1909 downward and spreading and then releasing it in r 5 1,078,980 Ackerman Nov. 18, 1913 lation to the first mentioned Shan elld- 1,435,074 Lott Nov. 7, 1922 8. l 1ail attachment means as set forth In c1 1m 7, 704 149 Reading Man 5, 929 whereln each butt strap Includes a lat al f t fiXtenSlOIl 1 774 9 3 11 et 1 Sept 2 1930 by Whlcl} Sald strap 15 adapted to i on 1? 1301307 Faries et 1 A 21 1931 9. Rail attachment means as set forth 1n claim 8, 10 1942 464 Willard Jan 9 1934 wherein the lateral foot extension on each butt strap is 2085970 Greene 1937 provided only on that side of said butt strap which is 2,135,954 Y 8 1938 adapted to face away from the rail. 1s er 10, Rail attachment means as set forth in claim 8, 2162365 Vluard June 1939 wherein said lateral foot extensions of said butt straps are 15 2,242,773 Boyce May 20, 1941 received in shallow recesses therefor formed in the tops 2,490,962 s n t a1. Dec. 13, 194-9 of the sleepers. 

